Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 296: World Tree Specialist (2)

“The fighting has begun.”

Ludger muttered, sensing the tremors in the air coming from far away.

Other infiltration teams had made contact with the chimeras.

Chris and Bellaruna could feel the aftermath as well.

They couldn’t tell the exact distance or direction, but the echoed howls of chimeras told them everything they needed to know.

“D-Do you think we’ll be okay?”

Bellaruna’s voice trembled slightly.

To someone who didn’t know her, she might have seemed frightened. But Ludger knew she was actually trembling with anticipation.

She was pretending to be worried, but in truth, she was hoping the chimeras would come their way.

It was obvious—she hadn’t had enough time to thoroughly analyze them to her satisfaction.

‘Well, that’s just how Bellaruna is.’

Ludger turned a curious glance toward Chris, who stood next to her.

“There’s no need to worry. Even if those monsters come our way, I’ll protect you.”

“Th-Thank you.”

‘What’s up with this guy?’

Chris, who was usually nothing but prickly, was being unusually courteous to Bellaruna.

Even Ludger—who didn’t typically react to emotional displays—was a bit stunned by how gentlemanly Chris was acting.

More surprising still was that Bellaruna, who was normally reserved and socially awkward, responded to Chris in a relatively normal way.

Sure, they’d just been bonding over pharmacology, but still...

To think they’d get along so quickly in such a short time.

‘Should I consider this good or bad...?’

Shaking his head, Ludger pushed aside the thought.

Now wasn’t the time to be concerned with those two.

Chimeras had detected their presence and were on their way.

Ludger issued a warning.

“They’re coming.”

Chris, sensing the approaching presence as well, immediately adjusted his stance and pulled out vials from his inner coat pocket.

While some chimeras had been diverted by the chaos elsewhere, there were simply too many for them all to be drawn away.

Avoiding confrontation was not an option.

The chimeras that had noticed them splashed through the sewer water as they charged.

Bellaruna flinched reflexively—not from fear, but because she was restraining herself from rushing at the chimeras in excitement.

Chris, unaware of her true feelings, stepped protectively in front of her, thinking she was afraid.

Naturally, Ludger and Chris ended up standing shoulder to shoulder, facing forward.

“There are ten of them. I’ll take care of them.”

“No need. I can fight too.”

Chris frowned, clearly offended by Ludger’s offer to handle it all himself.

He didn’t like the idea of stepping back—and even more so in front of Bellaruna.

Still, it wasn’t just childish pride.

Chris was genuinely skilled enough to fight chimeras on his own.

Ludger didn’t argue and simply gave a nod.

“Fine. Then let’s each take care of our share.”

Without warning, Chris threw three vials he had held between his fingers.

Clink!

The glass shattered, and colorful liquids spilled out.

Individually, they weren’t powerful. But the moment the three mixed together, they triggered a potent chemical reaction.

HSSSSHH!

The solution bubbled violently, and thick gray smoke billowed out.

The charging chimeras were swallowed by the smoke and started coughing and choking violently.

The one in front vomited a basinful of blood.

Watching it unfold, Ludger murmured in admiration.

‘Oh? Combining three reagents to trigger synergy?’

For chimeras of that caliber, most poisons wouldn’t have worked. Yet the compound Chris used overwhelmed them with ease.

Clearly, he had every right to be confident in his skills.

Ludger, reassured that Chris wouldn’t become a burden, began casting magic.

His target: the chimeras that hadn’t entered the smoke cloud and were smartly keeping their distance, waiting for the poison to settle.

But Ludger wasn’t about to let them.

The magic circle he constructed through source code summoned a powerful gust of wind.

The chimeras realized too late.

The gray smoke, caught up in the wind, surged forward and engulfed them like a wave.

Coughing and retching, the chimeras collapsed one by one, lifeless.

“That’s quite a potent toxin.”

“It’s a special reagent combination developed by the Bennimore family. You won’t find it on the market.”

Chris spoke with pride.

“The toxin attacks the respiratory system and rots it from the inside out. Even chimeras with poison resistance can’t withstand it.”

“Isn’t it a problem for us? That smoke’s blocking the way.”

“You don’t need to worry.”

As soon as Chris finished speaking, the smoke began to settle.

“In time, exposure to air neutralizes the toxicity, leaving behind harmless residue. A quick rinse clears the rest. There’s no danger of it coming back to harm us.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

Bellaruna’s eyes sparkled.

“How did you come up with such a formula from just three reagents?! One of them was Hexthos Leaf extract, right? That stuff’s notoriously difficult to handle!”

Chris blinked in surprise.

“You identified that right away?”

“Yes! Hehe, I’m actually quite knowledgeable in that field too.”

“I see. It’s not a big deal. Hexthos Leaf does react violently with just a drop of water and can explode. But if you grind Mandala root and mix it in, it becomes much more stable. That lets you control it as you like.”

“Ah, I see! So as long as you stabilize the toxin, you can combine it with other reagents to weaponize it effectively through diffusion!”

“Impressive insight. Most mages don’t understand even when I explain it. You’re clearly worthy of being the expert vouched for by Her Highness.”

Chris looked genuinely delighted. He likely didn’t have many people to talk with about topics like this.

And Bellaruna felt the same.

‘Well, they’re certainly hitting it off.’

Ludger was glad Chris had stopped doubting Bellaruna—but he hadn’t expected them to get this friendly.

“To think I’d meet someone—no, an elf—who can really hold a conversation like this. Bellaruna, would it be alright if I contacted you personally sometime?”

“Eh? M-Me? I don’t mind, but I was worried you might be uncomfortable with that...”

“I don’t mind at all.”

Bellaruna’s long ears twitched.

That was unmistakably a sign of joy.

“You two seem to get along well. That’s good—but please remember we’re still in the middle of a mission.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Ludger finally cut in.

Chris cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away, while Bellaruna gave a shy nod.

They both seemed to get the message—but Ludger couldn’t quite shake off the lingering discomfort.

‘An unexpected and frankly weird synergy has emerged.’

He decided to chalk it up to their shared professional interest.

The three of them continued walking through the underground sewers.

Thanks to prior study of the map, they didn’t lose their way.

“This is the entrance.”

A rusted door embedded in the wall.

It was the passageway into an ancient underground facility.

“Once we’re inside, you’ll need to stay on high alert. Things will be different from here on.”

On the way here, they’d encountered a few more chimeras.

But none had posed any threat to Ludger and Chris—they’d been eliminated swiftly.

Still, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down.

The underground facility ahead was effectively enemy territory.

Right now, they had only seen chimeras—but who knew what lay deeper inside?

Retreat wasn’t an option, so the three of them proceeded through the iron door.

Beyond it was a gaping, black tunnel stretching downward.

A rusted ladder clung to one side of the tunnel wall like the gullet of a beast.

“Judging by the condition of the ladder, this passage isn’t used by the Liberation Army.”

“Which means they don’t know every inch of this place. Let’s go.”

The three descended using levitation magic.

Since Bellaruna couldn’t use magic, Chris picked her up himself—

—bridal-style, no less.

“W-Wasn’t I heavy?”

“Not in the slightest. You’re light as a leaf.”

“......”

Ludger stared at the two of them—looking like they were shooting a romance drama—with a gaze that had grown noticeably colder.

‘Those two weren’t like this at all before.’

Two people once considered borderline lunatics no matter where they went had suddenly transformed into some knight-on-a-white-horse and tragic heroine pairing.

Ludger, who rarely let his emotions show, felt a flash of irritation so strong it nearly broke through his calm.

If he’d known it would turn out like this, he might’ve left them behind.

He regretted it inwardly—but he didn’t neglect his surroundings.

‘No ambushes, at least.’

Thankfully, there was no hostile presence nearby.

With that worry off his chest, Ludger widened his awareness and began to inspect the area more thoroughly.

‘At this point, it feels less like a facility and more like an underground ruin.’

It must have been built centuries ago, yet it was still standing without a single collapse—testament to the ancient craftsmanship.

The fact that something like this existed beneath the capital was fascinating in itself.

What was even stranger was the light. Though it should have been pitch dark, it was actually brighter than the sewers above.

Thanks to the soft glow permeating the place, it wasn’t difficult to make out the surroundings.

‘They say only a select few in the imperial family know about this place... and even then, they leave it untouched.’

So how had the Liberation Army found it?

It didn’t seem like something they’d just stumbled across while running and hiding—their preparations had been too thorough for that.

No doubt they’d known about it in advance and planned to use it from the beginning.

And Ludger was almost certain: the one who had told them... was the Black Dawn Society.

‘Nikolai’s doing? But I doubt his intel network is that good.’

More than that, it wasn’t just the presence of the dead World Tree here that troubled Ludger—it was also something Hans had told him before leaving.

—Sir. There’s one more thing I need to tell you.

—What is it?

—It’s about your mentor.

—How is she?

—She’s been lying still and saying she’s bored... but she gave me a strangely meaningful piece of advice.

—Meaningful advice?

—She told me to “look underground.” That’s what made me decide to investigate below.

Look underground.

Grander, an 8th-circle archmage, wouldn’t say something like that without reason.

She must have sensed something lurking beneath with her unparalleled perception.

The only reason she hadn’t moved herself was likely because it hadn’t piqued her interest—yet.

‘Whether it wasn’t interesting yet, or she hasn’t reached that stage, I’ll have to confirm that myself.’

If his mentor had given a warning like that, Ludger had to treat it as a top-priority threat.

‘Whatever my mentor sensed, and whatever the Liberation Army is planning, they must be related—possibly even the same thing.’

That part would have to be confirmed once he got more information from Hans.

Just as Ludger was reaching that conclusion, his communicator crackled with static, prompting him to click his tongue.

“We’ve got a problem.”

“What is it?”

“Our comms are down. Looks like communication devices don’t work in here.”

Originally, Ludger and Chris had planned to report back after locating the World Tree.

Even though they were moving in small units, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t coordinate with the others.

But if comms were ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) cut, even that wasn’t an option.

Chris frowned at the implication—they were effectively isolated behind enemy lines.

“Then are we turning back?”

“We’ve come this far. There’s no point retreating now.”

“There’s no map of this place. You know the way?”

When Chris asked, Ludger answered not with words but with a surge of mana.

TWUUUUNG—!

Soundwaves pulsed out from Ludger in expanding concentric rings.

They bounced off walls and corridors, creating a web-like map as they collided with the underground structure.

From the returned signals, Ludger plotted coordinates in his mind.

A rough map of about 200 meters in radius unfolded inside his head.

But he didn’t stop there—he fired off several more pulses.

Ping—! Ping—!

The frequency was low enough that Chris could hear the sound too.

He quickly realized what Ludger was doing.

“Wind-element derivative—sound magic? You’re using returning soundwaves to map the structure?”

“You’re familiar with it?”

“I’ve had a lot of contact with military people through my family. I’ve heard about sonar-based enemy detection tools. But I was told it’s still in the experimental stage—didn’t expect to see it done through magic.”

“If you already know, there’s no need for further explanation.”

Ludger moved forward, offering no more detail.

Chris clicked his tongue at the dismissiveness.

He was curious, of course. But he didn’t ask how Ludger could do such a thing.

Because he already knew full well why Ludger had been chosen as Director of Operations.

The man who deciphered ancient Larsil and developed mana suppressants... it wasn’t too surprising that he could adapt sonar into sound magic.

At least this time, it was within the realm of common sense.

Following Ludger, the three eventually came to a halt.

They had finally found their objective.

“The World Tree’s root... it really is here.”

Chris whispered, astonished.

Protruding through a section of the ruin’s wall was a massive root—clearly belonging to the World Tree.

Even in the dim light, it was unmistakable.

Though now faded to an ivory hue, its sheer scale left no doubt about its identity.

Bellaruna’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Just as Chris and Bellaruna started approaching the root, Ludger raised a hand to stop them.

“What’s wrong?”

Chris asked, his voice just barely loud enough for Ludger to hear.

He wanted to get a closer look immediately, and it showed in his tone.

But he didn’t push back, knowing Ludger wouldn’t stop him without good reason.

Ludger didn’t reply—instead, he tilted his chin toward one side of the World Tree’s root.

As expected, there was something there.

A faint silhouette.

A figure—humanoid in shape.

“What... is that?”